Keep The Girl
by Echo1317
Summary: 4th in the Jason Aldean series. Max decides that the flock has to go, but Iggy refuses. Annabelle convinces him that he need to stay with his family, but can their relationship survive the distance? Can they themselves? Iggy/OC. Pretty OOC.
1. Chapter 1

Hi, whoever is reading this! I'm so sorry I couldn't get this up earlier, but I misplaced my notebook that I'd written it in, and I hadn't typed it yet. I don't know how many of you will like this, it's got stuff in it that even_ I_ didn't expect to happen when I started writing it.

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Chapter 1

**MAX'S POV**

_You need to move now._ The Voice urged me. Nope. Not now. Not a chance. We were all finally happy. No one had been attacked. No one had been kidnapped. No one was on their death beds. This was a first for us, and I wasn't about to ruin it by moving us again. Not now that once of us couldn't come.

_The situation is more severe than you realize, _It argued adamantly, _Remember last time? This will be ten times worse than that. Believe me, Max. Trust me._

_No! Iggy just got better. Things are going so great! Let it last a little longer._ I pleaded. I could not do that to him again. He'd practically gone comatose last time we left.

_Please don't argue with me, Max,_ The Voice said._ Get your things. You're leaving tomorrow night._

I gritted my teeth and screamed quietly into a pillow I was holding on my lap. Fang looked at me quizzically, and I just shook my head. He put his arm around me and I leaned my head on his chest. We were sitting on the couch in Dr. Martinez's living room watching TV. It was almost one in the morning, but that was ok. We hadn't quite gotten around to telling the flock about our newfound relationship, so this was our only time to 'be a couple'. Fang leaned over and kissed my head. I sighed in contentment, pulling the blanket that was covering us up to my chin.

"The Voice bothering you again?" Fang asked, rubbing his thumb up and down my arm. I nodded.

"We have to leave tomorrow night," I whispered. I heard Fang's sharp intake of breath.

"Ok," He said in a hard voice, "So we'll leave tomorrow."

I could tell that he was in fact _not_ ok with leaving. We'd all settled here, put down roots, formed attachments. I'd become attached to my mom, and sister, who I didn't want to let go of.

_Tomorrow, Max, _The Voice reminded me, fading into nothing.

_Yeah,_ I thought bitterly, _Tomorrow._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"No way, Max! No fucking way!" Iggy shouted at me. We were all seated around the dinner table, and I'd just broken the news that we had to go. Iggy had taken it about exactly how I'd expected him to, slamming his fist down on the table and standing up. "I'm not going anywhere!"

"Yeah, no f- " I clamped my hand down on Gazzy's mouth.

"You are _not_ allowed to say that word!" I told him angrily. He shut his mouth and sank back in his chair, looking hurt. I might've felt bad for yelling at him, but not right now.

"Let's talk about this calmly, please," Fang said, putting his hand on mine. I yanked it away, and stood up as well.

"This isn't a democracy, Iggy," I yelled, "What I say goes, and that's it! That's how it's always been and always will be! I say jump, you say how high! I say go jump off a cliff, you say which one! You do not argue, you do what you're told and you _stay alive_!"

Everyone was staring at me. They all looked shocked. Even though we all knew I was the leader, that I made the rules and gave the orders, I'd never put it quite like that before.

"Not anymore!" Iggy spat, an edge in his voice, "I'm not going with you!"

"Yes, you are!" I argued forcefully, "We've always stuck together, and I've always done what's best for the _whole flock_! You're doing what's best for _you_!"

"Are you calling me selfish?" Iggy bellowed, his face twisting with anger.

"Yeah, I guess so!" I fumed. Iggy snorted.

"You're such a- "

"Stop!" Angel wailed. We all turned to her. She was standing at the end of the table, teary eyed and broken hearted as Iggy and I went for each other's throats. "Don't fight anymore. Please stop fighting..."

I looked from her to Gazzy to Nudge. They were all upset, staring at us in confusion. We didn't fight hardly ever, not like this. There was always the occasional argument over whose turn it was to do the dishes or clean the house, but never like this. Fang held open his arms and Angel crawled into his lap. She hid her face in his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck. He looked over her head at me, and his eyes told me that I needed to get a hold of my temper.

"I'm sorry, Ig," I said tightly, sinking back down into my chair, "I shouldn't have raised my voice at you."

"And I shouldn't have yelled, either," He said, sitting down as well, "I'm sorry, too."

"See, that's all we needed," Angel said quietly, wiping her eyes, "We don't have to fight. Just listen to Max." Iggy's hands became fists, and his jaw tightened.

"I can't," Iggy said, struggling to keep his composure, "I can't just leave Annabelle again."

"This isn't your decision," I told him steadily.

"Yes, actually, it is, and I- "

"Iggy," Annabelle interrupted him softy, touching his arm, "You should go."

Iggy stared in her direction for a moment. His mouth was a hard line. He got up noisily, knocking the chair over and shaking her hand off of him. He stormed out of the room without another word. Annabelle let her head fall into her hands.

Whoa. Didn't see that one coming.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
**ANNABELLE'S POV**

"Iggy? Open up; Please, hon. Let me in," I called softly, knocking on his door. He had been locked up in there for over an hour, and the flock was already waiting on him to go. I was just about to knock again when the door swung open. Iggy stood in the doorway, his windbreaker on and his backpack slung over his shoulder.

"What?" He said in a monotone voice, "I'm leaving, ok? Just like you want."

"Oh, Iggy," I said, wrapping my arms around him. He remained still and unmoving. "I don't _want_ you to go."

"So why did you tell me to?" He asked quietly. I hugged him tighter.

"Because they're your family," I told him, "They need you."

Iggy put his arms around me. He gently rested his head on top of mine. He closed his eyes.

"Don't you need me, too?" Iggy whispered, stroking my hair.

"Of course I do. I need you like I need oxygen," I laughed airily, "But you can't give up you're flock for me."

"Yeah, huh," Iggy argued feebly, "I love you."

"I love you, too," I whispered with tears in my eyes, "But you have to go."

Iggy tilted my head up and kissed me passionately. I allowed myself to get caught up in the moment, tears spilling over my cheeks, my heart fluttering in my chest. After an eternity, it seemed, Iggy released me. He pressed his forehead against mine.

"We _will_ come back," He promised me, his voice shaking, "I _will_ come back for you."

He tore himself away from me and hurried down the stairs. I stood at the top of the stairs as he and the flock went out the front door. Then, quite suddenly, I was running, almost not of my own accord. I got out the door just as the flock took off into the sky. Still, I ran, thinking that maybe I could still get to him, stop him, kiss him, if I just pushed a little bit harder. When I got to the edge of the forest, I stopped short and sank to my knees. I could taste the salt on my lips as I cried. He was gone. I was alone.

Completely and utterly alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 IGGY'S POV

_I am not gonna cry. I am not gonna cry._ I told myself sadly. I had to be strong, for the flock, my family- myself.

"Are you ok, Iggy?" Angel asked, flying along beside me, "Are you crying?"

Crap. I shook my head no, not trusting my voice. Angel reached out and squeezed my hand. I held it for a while, glad that Angel was there to comfort me. I was becoming a fruit.

"Thanks," I said sheepishly after a while, wiping my eyes with my sleeve.

"It's ok, I'm glad to do it," Angel said quietly, "I hate seeing you sad."

We flew in silence for a bit longer, until Max directed us to a small, grassy clearing in a state park. I landed on the edge of it, sitting quickly and taking off my backpack. I rifled through it, looking for some kind of unfinished project (cough*bomb*cough) to occupy my mind. My hand fell on a folded piece of paper. I took it out and held it for a minute, my heart beating fast.

"Fang!" I hissed, not wanting to wake the younger kids, who had already fallen asleep. I motioned for him to come over.

"What's up?" He asked tentatively.

"Does this paper say anything on it?" I asked him quietly. He gingerly took it from me and unfolded it.

"It's from Annabelle," Fang whispered.

"Read it to me," I said, "Please."

"_Dear Iggy,_" He began, "_I know that you can't read this, but I know that Fang will read it to you. I love you and miss you already. You've got my heart with you, so don't loose it, ok? I want you to know that I will always be waiting here for you, whether you come back in 5 days or 50 years. I'll love you no matter what happens, so keep me in mind when you find it wandering. I love you. I love you. _And it's signed Annabelle Smith."

I could feel my throat constricting and tears forming in my eyes. I closed them and attempted to hide my face. I was unsuccessful, of course, and I was embarrassed that I was crying _again._

"It'll be ok, man," Fang said quietly, handing me back the note. I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, hiding. I heard Fang's almost silent footsteps as he walked away.

"I love you, Annabelle," I whispered, hoping in vain that she might hear me.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 ANNABELLE'S POV

"_Pass me another bottle, honey/ The Jaeger's so sweet/ But if it keeps you around then I'm down/ So meet me on Thames Street/ I'll take you out though I'm hardly worth your time/ In the cold, you- " _

"Hello?" I answered groggily, flipping open my cell phone. Whoever was calling me so early had better have a good reason for waking me up. Someone had better be either dying or dead, or I was going to throw my phone at the wall…

"Good morning, beautiful. I bet if you look out your window the sun got up to see you."

"IGGY!" I squealed, sitting up in bed, "Oh my God! Are you ok? Where are you? What's going on?"

"Slow down, Annabelle! We're fine. I think we're somewhere in Alabama. I just," He paused, then continued quietly, "I needed to hear your voice. I miss you a lot."

"I miss you, too," I told him softly, "I can't believe it's been three whole days since I've seen you."

"It feels like longer doesn't it?" Iggy said remorsefully, "I- "

"_Please insert twenty five cents for another 2 minutes._"

"I've gotta go, we only had one quarter," He said, "I'll call again soon, ok? I love- "

And then the line went dead. I hung up the phone, sighing slowly.

"I love you, too, Ig," I said quietly. I searched through the pictures on my phone until I came across one that I loved. Gazzy had been messing around with my camera while Iggy and I were goofing around on the lawn. He was chasing me, always right on my tail, and I couldn't manage to evade him. Finally, he caught up with me, pulling me into his arms and wrapping his wings around us. Gazzy just managed to stick the camera in our cocoon to catch us kissing. For an evil genius, that kid was a good shot.

I put the memories away, falling back into my pillows miserably.

_I wish he was here, _I thought, _I wish he was here. _


	6. Chapter 6

He gets that from me

Chapter 6

"So, I'll talk to you soon, ok? I love you," Iggy said.

"Ok. I love you, too. Bye," I said, closing my phone.

"You really do miss him, don't you?" Matthew asked me. We were in the food court at Arrowhead mall, a place far enough away from home that no one would know us here.

"Yeah, I do," I sighed, playing with my salad. I didn't know why I'd gotten it, I sure as hell wasn't gonna eat it. "I wish he was here right now."

"Aw, come on, Ace," Matthew said, leaning his arm over the back of the booth we were sitting in, "Then you wouldn't be with me."

"I know," I muttered. Matthew grinned and leaned forward, reaching for my hand. He took it and kissed it lightly. I grimaced, getting up and taking my food to the trashcan. Matthew followed me, smoothly placing his arm around my shoulder. I stiffened.

"Why are you even here, anyways?" I asked him sourly. He smiled a goofy, 'Why shouldn't I be here' kind of smile.

"Cause you asked me to be," Matthew said, kissing my head, "Cause you'd rather be miserable with me than miserable by yourself."

I rolled my eyes, quickly managing to wriggle out of his grasp and dodge into the nearest store. Ok, so maybe I _had_ called him. But why had he come? Did he still want me that much?

Matthew followed me in, keeping pace with me as I weaved in and out of the racks of cloths I would never even consider buying. When I went out of the store, he followed yet again, like a well-trained puppy dog.

"If you want me to leave, just say so," He said in a hurt voice. I sighed, turning on my heel.

"I don't want you to leave," I told him through gritted teeth, my eyes closed. When I opened them, he had me presses against the wall, his hands on either side of my head so I couldn't escape. Matthew smiled, then leaned down and pressed his lips softly against mine.

"See, Ace," He said quietly, an arrogant undertone to his words, "I knew you still loved me."

"Don't push it," I said, winding my arms around his neck. He kissed me again as I pulled him forward.

At this moment, I hated myself. I was in a loving and meaningful relationship with someone I loved desperately, and here I was kissing another guy. I guess he knew me too well- when I was vulnerable enough to be coerced by the little voice in my head to calling him, begging him to come to me.

"You wanna come back to my place?" Matthew asked, tucking a loose strand of hair back behind my ear, "My aunt and uncle won't be back till tomorrow, and I know where he keeps his booze."

"Yeah, sure," I said sullenly. I needed Iggy to be here, to stop me, to take me in his arms and fly me away like the angel he was. To save me from myself. To stop me from going back to my ex's house and getting drunk and screwing him.

But Iggy wasn't there. And there was nothing stopping me now.

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_This _is where the series kind of got off track.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N I am so sorry for not updating in so long! Has it already been over a month? It feels like just yesterday... Sorry, getting nostalgic. Anyway, thanks to anyone who's still bothering to read this crap!

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Chapter 7

**ELLA'S POV**

"I can't believe your mom actually brought us to Arrowhead mall," Rachel said happily, "My mom would frickin' freak if I asked her to just drop me off!"

"My mom's pretty cool," I said, grinning. My mother, being the awesome woman that she is, had agreed to bring us (us being me, Rachel, Shelly, Chloe, Kristi, and Lisa) to Arrowhead. We only had an hour before she was going to pick us up, but we could still do a bit of damage in that time.

"Where are we going first?" I asked, looking around. The food court was pretty packed, so we opted for Hot Topic instead. I didn't buy anything, mostly because that stuff isn't really my style, but also because I was saving my money to get a new phone. We all agreed that we would go eat next, as the food court was emptying out quickly. On the way there, I saw something that I hoped I would never see. No one else realized who it was, so they kept walking, but I lagged behind, staring.

What I saw was Annabelle, sucking face with her ex-boyfriend, Matthew Scott. Matthew was the whole reason Annabelle had left Sedona, where she'd lived before moving to Phoenix, and why she wouldn't play cards. She had entrusted me with their secret, that she'd lost her virginity to Matthew and how much she wished she could take it back. She regretted the decision so much that she moved here to live with her parents, who she hated, rather than stay there with her grandmother.

Matthew said something to her, and she said something back, then took his hand and led him to the exit. He pulled the car keys out of his pocket. All the stuff that Annabelle told me about had only just happened over a year ago. Why was Matthew back? What the hell was going on? Wasn't she with-

Oh, God.

Iggy.

He was going to be crushed. He loved Annabelle so much. How was he going to handle her cheating on him? And with her ex no less! This was so bad…

"Ella? You ok?" Lisa called, turning to look for me. "Oh! Yeah, I'm coming!" I said, hurrying to catch up. This would be my secret for now. I hoped that it would stay just that- a secret. And I really hoped that Iggy wouldn't find out from anyone but Annabelle.

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Filler chapter so that you know what happened with Annabelle and Matthew. The rest of the story will probably be up later tonight.

-Echo1317

P.S. Just as a side note, has anyone else listened to the new Daughtry CD? I love it! Especially 'September' and 'Call My Name'. :)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

ANNABELLE'S POV

I woke up with my head pounding. I attributed that to the alcohol.

I also woke up with no cloths on. I attributed that to the sex.

Matthew was still snoring next to me, and I could barely see the sun coming in through the closed curtains. I put my hands over my eyes. I was so stupid! How could I do this to myself again? How could I do this to Iggy?

I wrapped the sheet around myself and gathered my cloths off the floor. I slipped out of the room quietly, and took a quick shower in the guest room. Once I was dressed, I snuck back into the bedroom, where Matthew was still asleep, and threw the sheet back on my now empty space. As I turned to go back out the door, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. My face was sullen, and my eyes were puffy. The thin coat of eye liner I had applied to try and cover the hurt and regret did nothing except make me look all the more pitiful.

I quickly got my back pack from by the door and put on my sunglasses. The front door was unlocked, so I let myself out and stormed down the street. I tried not to think about last night. I tried not to think about what would happen if Iggy found out. Hopefully, he never would. I didn't like keeping secrets from him- but I didn't like hurting him even more. Eventually (about half way to Ella's house), I realized that avoiding this just might kill me.

I slept with Matthew. Big mistake. Not only was I cheating on Iggy, I was being unfaithful to myself. I had sworn never to see that bastard again. So why did I still have his number programmed into my phone?

Because I liked having a safety net. Someone I could sort of depend on. I guess, if you were someone completely juvenile and perhaps a little stupid, you could say that he was my "booty call". We did not connect emotionally, or mentally, just physically. All the kids at my old school said I looked great with him hanging off my shoulder. (The thought now made me sick.) And I mistook infatuation for love. Oops.

"-_Take you out though I'm hardly worth your time/In the cold you-"_

"Hello?" I answered the phone quickly, without looking at the caller ID.

"Hey, Ace, where are you?"

I groaned internally.

"Walking," I said, then glanced at my watch, "It's 6:30, Matthew, go back to sleep."

"Ok," He said groggily. I could tell he wasn't really awake. "Am I gonna see you tonight?"

I stopped in my tracks. Then I realized that, as much as I might not want to be lonely, I couldn't keep doing this.

"No, Matthew," I told him, "I'm sorry."

There was silence on the other line. I heard him sigh. The phone clicked and I got a dial tone.

Well, at least I wouldn't have to deal with him personally anymore.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

ANNABELLE'S POV

The front door to the Martinez's house was open just slightly, so I let myself in and dropped my bag by the door. My mind wandered back to just a few weeks earlier, when I'd been so happy, so content with what was happening. Now everything was messy, like a three year old's finger painting.

I heard voices coming from the living room, so I went to investigate. As I approached, the voices got louder, clearer, and more familiar…

"Annabelle!" Iggy exclaimed, throwing his arms around me. My eyes widened as I hugged him back. What the flying monkeys? Iggy wasn't supposed to be here, he was out, on the road (well, sky), trying to stay out of trouble.

"The Voice told Max to turn around," Iggy whispered in my ear, "It said there was something here that was more important to deal with here."

For a minute, I panicked. Did that stupid all-knowing voice find out what I did? Did it want Iggy to find out? Did he already know? Crap. Crap, crap, crap!

Then, I was pulled out of my thoughts. My heart was beating furiously, telling me to be happy. I suddenly really felt Iggy's arms around me. I hugged him tighter, tears pooling in my eyes as I realized that he was here. He was really _here_.

"I missed you so much," Iggy whispered. He gently tilted my head up and kissed me. I let go of everything for a moment and let myself get swept up in the kiss, in the dizzy, light-headed feeling I got whenever his lips met mine.

Just one big mistake after another.

If I'd kept myself on alert, I would have seen everyone leaving the room. I would've heard the front door opening, and I would've heard the familiar footsteps on the hard, wood floors.

"What the hell, Ace? Who's this?"

I opened my eyes and looked to where the voice was coming from Matthew was standing in the living room entry way, an amused expression on his face. His eyes danced with humor, and you could tell he was itching to cause some trouble.

"I'm Iggy, Annabelle's boyfriend," Iggy said defensively. My eyes widened yet again as Matthew smirked mischievously.

"So this is the guy, Annabelle?" Matthew said, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the door frame, "The guy you were talking about _all_ last night?"

"What happened last night?" Iggy asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. I shook my head as Matthew looked directly at me."You really wanna know, dude?" He said, "Cause I don't think you do."

"Don't, Matthew," I whispered forcefully. I saw an unrecognizable emotion flash in his eyes for a fraction of a second, and I stupidly thought that maybe he wouldn't…

"Tell me, _Matthew,_" Iggy commanded. Matthew smirked again.

"Well, _Iggy_," He said. No. He wouldn't do that to me. Please. Please, God, say he wouldn't do that…"I fucked your girlfriend."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

IGGY'S POV

So, I bet you're wondering what the first thing that came to my mind was when I found out that Annabelle cheated on me. Rage? Nope. Sadness? Kinda. Regret? Not really. My first thought was-

_This is all my fault._

Now, I know what you're all thinking. So Edward Cullen, right? But here's my logic. If I hadn't left, this never would've happened. If I hadn't left her lonely, she wouldn't have had to go to him. If I'd just stayed…

"Get out of here, you god damn son of a bitch!" Annabelle screeched. God, I hope she wasn't talking to me.

"Just telling it like it is. No secrets, right, Ace?" Matthew chuckled. I wanted to take him and reach down his throat and pull up his intestines and wrap them around his neck and strangle him with them.

"I said get out!" Annabelle yelled. I heard Matthew laugh again, then his footsteps echoing down the hall. The front door opened and then slammed. Then, it was silent. Annabelle stepped away from me.

"I'm so sorry," She whispered brokenly, "I know you'll never be able to forgive me, so I'll just…"

I heard her start to walk away, so I reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Wait," I said, "Don't go. Please. Stay."

"Why?" Annabelle said. You could plainly hear that she was crying, and I hated that. She shouldn't cry. "You hate me, right? Go ahead, yell, scream, hit me if you want to, I deserve all of it, I-"

"Shush," I whispered, pulling her into my arms, "Please don't go killing yourself over this. I don't hate you. I'm not going to yell. And I'm definitely not going to hit you. I'd never do that. I love you, Annabelle."

"But I- I-" Annabelle began, but she couldn't finish. She buried her face in my shirt and cried harder. I put my hand on the back of her head and stroked her hair. "It's ok," I murmured. She shook her head.

"No, it's not ok," She said, her voice quivering. I could hardly understand her. "I cheated on you! With Matthew, no less! I'm a horrible person, and you _should_ hate me, you should be pushing me away and telling me that you never want to see me again! You should be angry and yelling, not telling me _it's ok!" _

"But this is my fault," I whispered, holding her tighter, "I left you alone, right? You were here all by yourself. You needed someone and I wasn't there."

"I made the choice to call him. I made the choice to let myself go like that," Annabelle whispered, "Why don't you hate me?"

She feebly hit my chest and tried to pull away, but I just held her. She collapsed into sobs, and I slowly led her to the couch. We sat there for what seemed like hours, and while Annabelle cried, I shed a few tears of my own. I finally had her in my arms again, and that was enough.

"Really, though," She said after a long while, "Why don't you hate me? You have every right to."

"Because," I sighed, "You've got your claws in me. You own me. I swear, you could probably kill me and I wouldn't be mad, I'd just think 'Well, I probably had it coming.'."

Annabelle chuckled and my heart pounded at the sweet sound. She wrapped her arms around my waist.

"So…" Annabelle trailed off awkwardly, "Will you take me back? Even after what I did?"

"I never let you go," I told her, shaking my head. I smiled as she snuggled closer to me.

"Thank you," Annabelle whispered, "Just… Thank you."

"When I have to choose," I said confidently, sure I was making the right decision, "I'll always keep the girl."

* * *

I very sorry for not putting these up earlier! And I'm also very sorry because the next story, 'Wide Open', is an almost crossover with City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Further information in the first chapter of that story.

-Echo1317


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